Facing the Black
by Iverik
Summary: Kaylee Frye owns Serenity. The crew is gone. They all must face the black. *Joss is Boss. You know which characters are his, right?*
1. Facing the Black

_Prologue_

Captain Kaylee Frye stood on the deck of her ship, pale and trembling. _Serenity_ had never felt so cold. Not to her anyway. The merry beat of the engine sounded dim and far-away from the bridge. _Serenity_ was lonely. The stars were cold. Kaylee shivered. A metal clasp clanged in the distance, heralding her worst nightmare. _Serenity_ was hers.

The last shuttle flew away. In the darkness of the rim, its gray paint looked jet black. It waggled once- probably to the annoyance of at least one of its occupants- and sailed away. In seconds, it was just a dot, and then nothing.

Kaylee sat down heavily on the cot she'd made from what had been, until today, Wash and Zoe's bedspread. A couple of Mal and Jayne's belongings were also woven in, adding color and smell. It smelled of her family, who were gone, possibly forever. Kaylee sobbed.

_Facing the Black_

Mal Reynolds was grim and silent. Over Wash's shoulder, he could make out the sensor contact with his- Kaylee's- ship. He seemed to have aged ten years. Behind him, Zoe watched critically. Sooner or later, Mal would need a pat on the shoulder, a reminder of why this was happening, and possibly a stiff drink. Not now though. Not until their home had disappeared off the screen.

Jayne was, quite possibly, the happiest member of the crew. True, he had left his most prized possessions behind, but- Hell, he still had Phillipi, and was he ever going to get a chance to use her! He cradled the gun lovingly. He'd made a point of breaking it down and cleaning every last piece. Still, he hoped Kaylee would remember to dust Vera once in a while. Guns need cleanin', after all.

Wash sighed, his hands cradling the controls of the shuttle lovingly. He was going to miss that Firefly. Not as much as he was going to miss the people on her -especially Zoe- but he trusted his captain. Kaylee might be the captain on paper now, but the crew knew better. He looked over his shoulder and gave his wife a weak smile, which she returned before reverting to her cold patience.

As _Serenity_ vanished off the sensor grid, another ship slowly came into focus. An Alliance gunship on its patrols spotted their approach. Invisibly signaling its mothership, it swooped in on the small shuttle like a bird of prey.

"Unidentified shuttle, please state your names and intentions!" The pilot glanced down at the firing button wistfully.

"This is Malcolm Reynolds." Mal hesitated, a lump forming in his throat. Pushing it aside, he continued: "We've come to volunteer."


	2. Belly of the Beast

_Hello. Iverik here. Just a reminder: This story uses characters created by someone other than me. _

_Facing the Black_

Captain Anders of the Alliance cruiser _Radiant_ frowned. "Browncoats?" he muttered, looking at his aide through the computer screen.

"Yes sir. Two of them are, anyway. Veterans of Serenity Valley no less."

"And they're volunteering?"

"Yes sir. Them and the other two. Mercenaries, a pilot and a gunman. Gunman's a rough character if I do say so sir."

"Have this... Malcolm Reynolds sent to my office please."

Ignoring his aide's salute, Captain Anders puzzled. Veterans of Serenity Valley joining the Alliance military? It didn't make sense. Surely this was a trick. Yes, a desperate trick to get revenge for the lost cause. Taking advantage of the current crises no doubt... and yet- Captain Anders hesitated. The situation _was_ bad. Perhaps even former Browncoats could see that and had the decency to-

At that moment, Captain Anders was interrupted by his door opening. Malcolm Reynolds entered, flanked by four heavily armed guards. He himself wore no holster, and had no gun.

Captain Anders looked into his former enemy's eyes. There was fear, but not malice. Smoldering grudges perhaps, but not festering ones. There was something else too, an energy about the man.

Dismissing the guards, Captain Anders offered Malcolm Reynolds a seat. "Thank you," said Mal, "I'll be standin' if you don't mind."

Captain Anders hesitated for the briefest pause. "Not at all," he assured his strange guest, "but I am curious. What brings you here? To us?"

"How long have you been out here?" Malcolm asked, "Five years?"

"The _Radiant _has been on patrol here for four point three years."

"In that time, have you seen the people out here?"

"How is this relevant?"

"I've been among these people, captain. There are stupid people and evil people... but most of 'em just wanta get by. Captain Frye, who'n give us a ride here- she's a beautiful person. Wouldn't hurt a fly, probably couldn'- I can't live with myself knowing that they're in danger when there's somethin' I could do to protect them."

Captain Anders considered. "Still, your record..."

"Times change," Malcolm explained grimly, "regardless of what you once were, you're now kinda've our only hope."

"Still," Captain Anders pressured, "what assurances do I have that you won't simply stab me in the back when my back is turned? After all, you _are_ a veteran of the valley."

Mal winced. "There's no call for that, captain. We're honest folk now. I'm looking to save the border planets. Assassinating you, betraying your men- it would be useless and you know it. Even once the war ends, all the Alliance would do is send another ship and launch reprisals. While the war's going on, you're our protection. You've nothin' to fear from us."

"Well then," Captain Anders said after a few seconds of thought, "perhaps we can do business, Mr. Reynolds."


	3. Calm before the Storm

_Hello. Iverik here. Just a reminder: This story uses characters created by someone other than me. _

_Facing the Black_

Kaylee woke up to find herself face to face with River. Not so odd, perhaps, except for the fact that Kaylee had, until very recently, been sound asleep in a hammock. River smiled serenely, gracefully plastered to the ceiling. Kaylee was not serene.

Unfortunately, Kaylee's yelp startled River enough to move her left foot... which resulted in her plummeting to the deck. Only Kaylee's quick roll to the left prevented a serious accident.

"Gorram it, River!" Kaylee slowly untangled herself from her hammock. "Ow," River replied.

"What happened?" Simon jogged in breathlessly.

"Smiles gone," River observed sadly, "She was hoping to bring them back."

Kaylee found herself smiling despite herself, to River's delight. "Thanks, Riv."

"Ah. Well," Simon rubbed his hands together, "if you'll come this way, captain, I've made breakfast-"

At the word "captain", Kaylee's smile vanished. She pulled herself up and was out the door as Simon stepped aside with a gracious looking sweep of the hand. River cast him a "you're an idiot" look, and dove through the opening before he could move.

At the entrance to the dining room, Kaylee froze. The entire room was filled with boxes. As Simon came up behind her, she whirled and sobbed.

"I miss 'em," she wailed, "I miss 'em so much!"

Bewildered, Simon glanced over his shoulder at his sister, who arced her arms in a "hug her you idiot!" gesture. So Simon did.

"You have to eat," Simon whispered into her ear, "come on." River, meanwhile, had slipped into the ductwork and was gone. Still sniffling, Kaylee headed through the narrow corridor left in what had become an avenue of boxes.

She stopped short. Three places had been set on the floor. River sat at one, waiting hungrily. Astonishingly, there was a fruit at one of the places.

"Is this for me?" Kaylee knelt and picked it up, her eyes reflecting its firm redness.

"It is," Simon said with a touch of self-satisfaction, "just trying to cheer you up, that's all."

"What is it?" Kaylee turned the fruit round and round, puzzled.

Simon was surprised. "It's an apple. You've... never seen an apple before?"

"No," Kaylee giggled, biting into her apple. "ooooohh!"

It was at this point that River decided to leave, knowing full well that the next few minutes would be spent adoring the apple. Perhaps it was time someone was on watch. The 'verse was a dangerous place after all. "Calm before the storm," she muttered.


	4. Revelation

_Hello. Iverik here. Just a reminder: This story uses characters created by someone other than me. _

_Facing the Black_

"You look good in purple, sir." Mal glared at his former second-in-command. Most people would have taken a step back. Zoe just arched an eyebrow.

"Purple?" One of the other new recruits looked down at his uniform. "Yeah, I guess there's a little..." He scratched his head.

Mal stalked off towards the briefing room. Zoe, naturally, fell into step. "This isn't the easiest job, is it sir?"

"Damn right it isn't."

"Just remember why we're here sir."

"I think we're about to get a reminder," Mal growled under his breath as they turned into the briefing room.

Captain Anders looked grim. Several other officials watched the recruits file in. Mal and Zoe's military bearing stood out among the crowd. One official pointed and whispered. Mal gave him his best "let it be, please" grin.

Jayne was looking throughly miserable. The _gorram_ fools had taken Phillipi away and given him a useless hunk of _ gos se_ instead. He'd used this sort of gun before, with very bad results. This plan was starting to give him an uncomfortableness.

"Aten-Tion!" A room full of recruits snapped to attention. Sort of. Captain Anders surveyed the room, noting who did and didn't jump to. "Welcome to the ground forces," he growled, "look around. What you see here is the first, and in some places the last line of defense for the Alliance."

"Here it comes," Mal muttered to Zoe.

Holographic displays appeared. Captain Anders used a laser pointer to mark a nondescript asteroid on the edge of the system. "Fourteen days ago, one of our patrols found an unidentified ship orbiting this asteroid. It proved to be robotic. Our ships followed its signals back to its base..." Captain Anders cleared his throat. "It was a star fleet. A sleeper fleet, in fact, armed to the teeth and waking up. Our ships were immediately destroyed upon detection. Analysis of the weaponry used suggests that it was superior to our own."

"Eight days ago, they arrived at the terraformed moon of Bisphon. We had a reasonable outpost there, with several heavy cruisers in orbit. We thought it would be enough." Captain Anders played a clip of the invasion of Bisphon. "It was not."

"We now face an invasion, without warning and without provocation. Our task is to halt it before it reaches another populated world."

"To that end," Captain Anders continued, "I would like to ask for volunteers for the special weapons' program. Operative?"

A man in a black suit stepped forward. "Our research teams have developed several new weapons using funds left over from the Unification War. These include improvements in targeting, firepower, and rate of fire. We need to train operators for these weapons. Do we have volunteers?"

Mal glanced over at Jayne, expecting him to be the first in line. The surly mercenary, however, had turned a deathly shade of white, and had stuck his hands behind his back. To Mal's trained eye, they appeared to be shaking.

Recruits hurried to join the man in the suit. Captain Anders took notes. In the confusion, Mal slipped over to Jayne's side. "What's wrong?" he hissed.

"Gorram it, Mal, we're in trouble."

"I guessed that, care to be tellin' me why?" Mal snarled in an undertone. Captain Anders had yet to look up, but that wouldn't last long.

Jayne grimaced: "His hands are blue."


	5. Seeds

_Hello. Iverik here. Just a reminder: This story uses characters created by someone other than me. _

_Facing the Black_

Kaylee nudged some of her other things aside to make room for the pot. The apple had produced four seeds, and it was a cinch to make a make-shift pot and grow-light. Mal would probably be furious to come back and find a tree growing in his cargo bay- but hey, she was the captain. Technically, she owned this boat, so why couldn't she add a little greenery? 'Specially 'cause it would ease the burden on the life-support.

Watching the pot, Kaylee's thoughts drifted back to the apple. Shiniest thing she'd ever eaten, that. Shiny feller who'd given her the apple, too. This wasn't the first time Simon had gone out of his way to do somethin' nice fer her either.

'I'm gonna have to think of some way to get him back for this,' Kaylee thought dreamily. It would be nice to just run up to him and plant a kiss on him- but she suspected that, with his core-bred manners and all, he would just be embarrassed. Pleased later maybe. Probably. But in the mean-time, what would mean as much to Simon as the apple had meant to her?

"Flowers." Kaylee jumped. River was peering in through the hatch of her bunk.

"Flowers, huh?"

"Any color but pink," River nodded sagely.

"Since when did he like flowers?" Kaylee was thoughtful.

"Always had a vase on his desk back home," River paused, then decided it was best not to mention that Simon's old vase had been hydroponic, a luxury unheard of out in the black. "Something to look at besides broken people," she added.

"Hey, thanks Riv! That's a good idea." The pair shared a grin, then River skipped away. Kaylee hopped to her feet and climbed out. Simon was on watch. As good a time as any to relieve him.

He didn't notice her until she was right on top of him. Kaylee's heart sank at the new worry lines criss-crossing his face.

"The Alliance is still losing ground," he noted, pointing at articles on the cortex, "the Autodemarchy-"

"The what?"

"Autodemarchy. I guess that's whatever these raiders call themselves."

"Kinda've a mouthful."

"Yeah. Incidentally, Mal was right."

"About not taking _Serenity_ into..."

"Yeah. Every civilian transport within a five light-second radius of Bisphon has been destroyed. That would have been us."

Kaylee shivered. Instinctively, she took Simon's hand. He squeezed it. They stood there for a long time, not moving, watching the reports come in from the start of a war.

The sensors blipped. Simon was the first to look. "Someone's coming!"

"Oh!" Kaylee was off like a shot, heading for the engine room. "Go dark!" She yelled over her shoulder. River scurried past. Kaylee careened into the maze of food boxes, struggling through.

"If they're Alliance, they've seen us already," Simon's voice echoed over the intercom.

Kaylee reached the engine room. Frantically hitting switches, she managed to trip over a box and fell down hard, cutting her lip. The last switch was just out of reach. She struggled up, took two long steps, and smacked it.

_Serenity_ went dark just before a sensor sweep washed over it.


	6. Rax

_Hello. Iverik here. Just a reminder: This story uses characters created by someone other than me. _

_Facing the Black_

Mal and Zoe stared down their former mercenary. Jayne squirmed. "Jus' somethin' Moonbrain used ta say," he grumbled, "two by two, han's of blue. She was repeatin' it real loud on Ariel, when all th' screamin' started."

"Screaming?" Mal frowned. "I don't recall you mentionin' that anytime."

"Blood-curdlin'." Jayne shivered.

"I do remember that there were several murders at the hospital after we left," Zoe remarked, "mostly Alliance staff. I thought it was just propo to make the Tams look terrifying."

Mal blew out a long breath. "Could be both. Anyway, we now have a situation. 'ts possible that these people could recognize Jayne from that incident, and then we'd be in a world of trouble. Ain't none of us gonna go near those people, understood?" There was a chorus of "aye captain"s. "Now, supposin' we go get cozy with our squad-mates 'fore our glorious saviors get curious as to what we are doin'?"

As they left the shelter of the shield conduit's hum, Jayne peeled off, muttering his rax number under his breath. Mal and Zoe strode down the hall, ignoring the looks of the soldiers marching past. They reached their rax with no trouble.

As soon as they entered, all conversation ceased. Two men and a woman looked back at them with mistrustful eyes. "Howdy," Mal called cheerfully. They made no reply.

"I'm guessing they're not the friendly sort, sir." "Mm." Pretending to ignore the hostile stares, the browncoats sat on their respective bunks.

Mal popped open his supply kit. The first thing he noticed was the raincoat (a necessity on Bisphon though not exactly for the obvious reason). In most respects, it was standard issue Alliance. The main difference was its color: a dark brown.

The Alliance soldiers saw. Two of them, a muscular, grizzled fellow and the woman, laughed. "Pretty fitting, I would say," the man said. The woman subsided to a smirk.

"Is this your idea of a joke?" Mal glared at the man, ignoring the fact that he was at least fifty pounds of muscle too shy to have a fair fight.

"Naw. Cap'n just wants to keep an eye on you two." The man yanked out his own raincoat: a light grey. He grinned. "Just in case you try something."

"Not really my color," Zoe remarked dryly, draping it around her shoulders, "but if that's what your Captain wants."

Mal forced himself to smile affably. It didn't quite work.

"Well," said the third man, "if we're going to be squad-mates, then I suppose we should get introduced." He stuck out his hand. "Paul Wun." When neither of his fellows stirred, he thumbed over his shoulder. "That's Aria and Killer."

"Malcolm Reynolds."

"Zoe Washburne."

"Malcolm Reynolds?" Killer frowned. "That name's familiar."

Gorram, Mal thought, I sure hope not. Externally, he just smiled. Just then, a familiar head of yellow hair popped through the door.

"Hi!" Wash said.


	7. Intruder

_Hello. Iverik here. Just a reminder: This story uses characters created by someone other than me. _

_Facing the Black_

_ Serenity_ was dead silent. In the engine room, Kaylee held her breath, easing around several fallen items. With soft, nervous steps, she worked her way towards the front of the ship. Once more she tripped over- something. Mal had made sure _Serenity_ was well stocked before he left. It made for difficult maneuvering though, especially in the dark.

Reaching the dining room, she put her hand out and felt for the corridor. Something sticky brushed her fingers. A leak? No time now. She had to get to the bridge, had to know what was going on. Ah, here was the passage.

As Kaylee left the dining room, she heard a sound that made her heart jump into her mouth: the unmistakeable sound of a shuttle docking. She almost screamed when someone tapped her on the shoulder.

"I think we've got company," Simon whispered.

Kaylee nodded. "You two should hide. I'll-"

"No, if it's trouble you'll need us," Simon countered. Below them, the shuttle clanked into final position. "No time to argue," he said grimly hurrying off. Kaylee noticed the glint of a gun barrel in his hand.

River was already there, seated patiently on the cold metal, just casually watching the door. Simon took up a position covering the door, grateful that the darkness hid how pale he was. Kaylee's pallor shone through the dark. The door hissed, and opened.

A space-suited figure stepped out, armed only with a flashlight. The light shone on River. In an instant, Simon was by the figure's side, gun raised. "Don't move," he growled in his best attempt at a menacing tone. Kaylee froze. So did the intruder.

"Simon?" At the sound of his name, Simon lowered the gun and took a step back. Slowly, carefully, the intruder removed her helmet.

"_Inara_!" Kaylee squealed, diving past Simon and enveloping the Companion in a bear hug. River joined in. Simon looked sheepish.

"I saw _Serenity_ all dark and I thought... I thought..." Inara teared up a little.

"I'll get the lights back on!" River took off at top speed, easily missing several hurdles.

"What happened?" Inara asked.

"I suppose you've heard the news," Simon said.

"Yes, but... Oh no."

"Bisphon," Simon continued, "was an Independent moon during the war. Mal's not one to forget that."

"Where," Inara asked slowly, "is he?"

The lights came on. Inara could see into the cargo bay from where she stood. Two massive fuel tanks and a host of oxygen canisters filled the floorspace. She knew the answer. From the way her face crumpled, Simon knew she knew.

"We thought you weren't coming back," he said, "or we would have waved you."

Kaylee gave Inara a gentle pat, giving Simon a "please be quiet" look. Inara sniffled.

River chose that moment to pop out of the ceiling.

Unconcerned, she looked around over the center of the cargo bay. "Neat," she said, and disappeared back into the bowels of the ship.

While Kaylee and Simon were staring, Inara backed away, into the privacy of her shuttle, and had a good cry.


	8. Rise of the Autodemarchy

_Hello. Iverik here. Just a reminder: This story uses characters created by someone other than me. _

_Facing the Black_

"Gorram it, Wash, what are you doing here?"

"Zhufu Ni, Zoe." Wash's grin could probably power a small ship.

"Who are you, shah gua?" Killer approached in all his bulk.

"Her husband," Wash replied meekly, putting his arm around Zoe. Killer arched an eyebrow.

"And what are you doing down here, _husband_? Shouldn't you be over in the flyboy section?"

"I suppose so."

"Leave," Killer growled, half-smiling.

"Just saying so long," Wash complained.

"Nee Yow Wuo Kai Chiung?" Killer snarled, "LEAVE!"

"'ts no call for that," Mal snapped.

"Uh, actually, I will be going." Wash started for the door, then leaned backwards and kissed his wife on the mouth. "Nice fellow," he muttered under his breath, and sprinted out the door.

"Well, now that that's all settled, how's about we watch this holo like we're supposed to?" Mal asked, mercifully distracting Killer.

"Sure," Paul interjected. Killer gave him an annoyed glare. "Hey, I don't want to get in trouble with the Captain. Do you?"

"Paul's right," Aria remarked. Killer calmed down. Zoe arched an eyebrow at Mal; the message was clear. Mal leaned back as the holo started, thinking up all the ways Killer could live up to his nickname and not liking how many he found.

The holo was gun footage from an Alliance assault rifle. The first shots were fired as a series of pods came in, burning brown trails into the dull sky. The unknown soldier weilding the rifle/camera maneuvered out of the way.

What happened next was sudden. The pods landed, rolled, and burst open. A torrent of bullets and men tumbled out, fierce enough to force the Alliance to duck. A series of grenades made short work of the defenders.

The assault rifle was scooped up by an enemy soldier. What came next was horrific. In scene after scene, the soldier went from door to door through the Alliance complex. Whoever he came across was shot. Alliance personnel. Frightened civilians. An unlucky child.

Mal's grip tightened on the metal foot of his bed until his knuckles turned white. The knowledge that Mr. Universe had independently verified this footage made it ten times worse. He forced himself to look beyond the horror, to tease out the habits of the enemy. Training kicked in.

Aria involuntarily cried out. Mal looked. The latest victim had a vague resemblance to Aria. A family member? Maybe, maybe not. But there was no mistaking the emerald fire in her eyes, amplified by unshed tears. The fists she was making were unmistakeable as well. Mal made a note to try to get Aria on his side.

The most chilling scene came shortly before the recovery of the rifle by Alliance operative commandos. The soldiers had reassembled. A holoscreen had been set up.

Maximillian Zenga, head of the Autodemcracy appeared in great fanfare. The soldiers cheered. "Good work my soldiers," he said in Spanish (the Alliance thoughtfully provided subtitles; Mal didn't need them- he already knew what was going to be said). Applause. "In order for the Autodemcracy to be established, you must do this many more times. This Alliance, and all its people, must give way to ours. Extermination," he roared, "is our only chance at survival!"

It was one thing to hear it from Mr. Universe. It was quite another to hear it firsthand. Mal's eyes flashed. The Alliance may be no friend of his, but he had friends in this verse. If these... autodemons? wanted to exterminate them, they would have to go through him first.


	9. Food

_Hello. Iverik here. Just a reminder: This story uses characters created by someone other than me. _

_Facing the Black_

"River, honey, you must eat something," Kaylee pleaded.

"Not hungry."

Inara entered the makeshift dining room. "What's going on?"

"River hasn't been eating."

"Does Simon know?"

"No, but soon he will. 'ts almost my shift."

"River, if you don't eat..." Inara cajoled, softly, melodically.

"Maximum survival time without food: 55 days," River answered. She turned to Inara with a look that said "and yours?" She didn't need an answer.

"River, we're in the midst of all this bounty..."

"Mirage. As we get closer, it will fade away."

Inara and Kaylee exchanged a helpless look. "I'll get Simon," Kaylee sighed.

"No needles!" River cried. Before the other two women could move, she had disappeared down a crawlspace.

"She's gotten good at that," Kaylee mused, "I guess there's no point in getting Simon."

"I guess not."

"Hey- do you wanta see my apple tree?"

"Apple tree?"

"Sure! Comeon," Kaylee led Inara through the maze of boxes to where she had the grow-light rigged. "It hasn't sprouted yet," Kaylee explained, "but when it does it's gonna be the prettiest li'l' tree in the 'verse!"

"I don't doubt it. Where did you get it?"

Kaylee explained. "I wanna get him something nice. You know, as a thank-you."

"There were apple orchards on Osiris, once," Inara remarked, "I think they turned them into flower gardens. More economical. They grow them on Bisphon and Newhall now."

"River suggested getting him flowers. Maybe something from Osiris, ta remind him of home?"

"That's perfect!"

"Thing is, I can't take _Serenity_ out of hiding."

"I can make the run for you. I can line up a few convenient clients easily. Especially with the war going on."

"That'd be great, Inara! Thank you!"

"You're welcome, Mei-mei. It's the least I can do."

Kaylee clambered into the bridge to relieve Simon. "River's not eating," he observed.

"How did you know?"

"I know River. She was counting things yesterday, and then watching the news. I guess she's come to a conclusion as to when the war will end, and put herself on a strict rationing program. She did this while we were first running from the Academy. One of the reasons I put her in stasis, among others," Simon sighed, "but now that's not an option. I'm just wondering how tightly she's put her rations."

"She hasn't eaten anythin' since Inara came onboard."

"Hm."

"I can relieve you if ya want."

"No. I need to think. The stars help."

The stars shone coldly, white and blue. Serenity gleamed quietly in the dark. River, in her space-suit, smiled at their beauty.


	10. It can always be worse

_Hello. Iverik here. Just a reminder: This story uses characters created by someone other than me. _

_Facing the Black_

Everyone in Mal's rax was understandably silent. Mal, having been a captain, was the first to find his voice. "Only way they're gonna be stopped is ifn we stop 'em," he observed.

"You're right," Paul answered sadly.

"Hmph," said Killer.

Aria's eyes still burned green. Wordlessly, she took out her weapon and began to inspect it.

It was late. Even Mal was sleepy. This, despite the fact that his bunk was next to Killer's. In addition to being mean, the man snored. It didn't matter. He was almost asleep.

The first bump was almost unnoticeable. Mal didn't stir, much less the deeper sleepers. The second, on the other hand, threw him across the room.

"oooooff!" Mal found himself on something soft, and scrambled desperately to his feet and away. In a distant corridor, missiles were fired. "We're under attack," Mal observed grimly.

"Really." Whump! "What makes you say that?"

Zoe staggered to her feet, holding her ribs. "So, what now?"

"Stick to the plan," Mal grimaced, "and help the Alliance!"

Real gravity was taking hold as the five soldiers spilled into the hallway. Killer shouldered past Mal roughly. An alert siren blared. "Hull breach," Aria grunted.

An old memory surfaced. Mal swore under his breath. "Getting scared, browncoat?" Killer sneered.

"Nope," Mal said affably, "just remembering what happened the last time we got ourselves boarded."

"Boarded?" Paul froze in mid-step.

"Fact is, a missile impact would rip an entire section of the ship away," Mal said flatly, "you can feel for yourselves that that didn't happen." He moved his weapon to be ready at a moment's notice.

Paul did the same. So did Aria and Zoe. Reluctantly, Killer complied.

Less than two minutes later, an alarm sounded. A panicked, tinny voice announced that the ship had been extensively boarded. All personnel were to be ready to fight for their lives. Each statement was wrapped in what the Alliance considered a bare minimum of bureaucratese. Mal scorned every word. But his gun was ready.

Up ahead, a soldier in a black spacesuit holding a laser pistol turned in their direction. Everyone but Zoe got a shot off- the enemy soldier fell dead. They moved on.

A woman lay on the floor. Her gray uniform was perfectly straight. She might have been standing at attention... on the floor... with her eyes staring at nothing.

Aria and Paul were the only ones to slow down, mourning the loss of someone they'd never met.

Three more enemy soldiers. Zoe dropped two before anyone else, friend or foe, could react. Hair-triggers sent random bullets skipping down the hallway. One took the top off of Killer's shoe and kept going. The last soldier went down in a hail of hasty shots.

Heavy firing could be heard up ahead. Mal peeked around the corner, expecting to find a gun-battle between Alliance and Autodemarch troops.

Instead, he found a man wearing blue gloves hovering in mid-air.


	11. Water

_Hello. Iverik here. Just a reminder: This story uses characters created by someone other than me. _

_Facing the Black_

Drip. Drip. Drip.

Inara was putting on fresh lipstick, mentally reviewing her client list. River was outside. Simon was watching the sensors. Only Kaylee could have heard the noise, and she was distracted.

Drip. Drip. Drip.

Simon started as a panel went dark. He tapped it. Nothing. He took a look at the wiring- useless really, since he knew as much about wiring as Wash did doctoring- frowned, and reached for the intercom.

"Kaylee, my panel just went dark." There was a pause, and then the scrabble of a comm coming on.

"Which one?"

"The, ah, seventh one."

"The seventh one?" It would take the two a few minutes to straighten out exactly which panel was malfunctioning. Kaylee determined that it was a panel that led to an underbelly sensor.

It was a simple job really, though awkward. With annoyed familiarity, Kaylee wiggled her way through the access panel. The metal was cold to the touch. It seemed to make everything it touched cold too... even after she pulled away...

"Goseh!" Kaylee's ringing curses reached no one. Just as well. When she had a good reason, the little cheery mechanic could curse a blue streak.

River came inside reluctantly. Kaylee was upset- very upset. It didn't have to do with her, but no one else was noticing. The Academy had tried and failed to destroy River's conscience.

She stopped short, her eyes bulging. Kaylee was dripping wet. "Oh, River," she gasped- completely out of breath, "tell Simon and Inara we've got a water leak. Hurry!"

River paused, contemplating a death by dehydration, and then practically flew to Inara and Simon.

She was quite incoherent.

Kaylee half-crawled, half-swam, towards the leak. The water around her was picking up lubricants and bits of sealants and dust... some of which had been on the boat longer than she, or even Captain Reynolds himself, had been. It didn't matter. Nothing would matter, if the leak was not stopped.

Her fear ebbed slightly when she reached the leaking water container. It was a small, slow drip, not a gushing torrent. It must have been leaking for a while, Kaylee reflected. No time.

She carefully aligned the patch. Shivering from the water's cold, she pulled a bottle of adhesive from a large pocket. Carefully, she aligned the tip with the edge of the patch, and squeezed. Nothing happened.

She squeezed harder. Nothing. Harder. Nothing. HARDER! Nothing. Finally, she squeezed with all her might. Naturally, the bottle exploded. White adhesive splattered everywhere. Kaylee allowed herself a groan.

Just then, a boat came down the access tunnel. Kaylee stared. It was made of half a protein carton box, with an intricate frill cut into the side. In its center lay a new bottle of adhesive. River.

This time, it worked.

Simon walked back into the ship, looking for Kaylee. Calling her name, he almost bumped into her. His eyes widened. "What happened to you?" he blurted.

Kaylee stood dripping, completely soaked. The adhesive had set- some of which was in her hair. She still managed a small smile.

"Uh-" Simon stared. He thought frantically. "I suppose I'll just take the helm for a while longer while you- you get cleaned up, alright?"

"Fine." Kaylee squelched away. As Simon headed back to the bridge, he heard her sneeze.


	12. The Sky is Falling

_Hello. Iverik here. Just a reminder: This story uses characters created by someone other than me. _

_Facing the Black_

"Wuh de mah!" Mal stared in astonishment. The man with the blue hands was _floating_. Actually hovering in mid-air.

"What do you see?" Paul asked.

Before Mal could answer, the man vanished. A staccato sub-machine gun barrage passed through his former location. "I'm thinkin' we'd best be goin' this way," Mal pointed in the opposite direction. He took a step to do so.

A man appeared. A compact laser pistol sat in his blue hand. He squeezed off two shots, and ducked out of the line of fire.

Killer gave Mal a foul look. Mal grimaced uneasily.

"You soldiers shouldn't be here," the man said calmly, "you should go. Now."

Mal was all too happy to go. So was Zoe. The regular Alliance troopers hesitated a little longer, but they went.

There was a sudden, world shattering impact. All five soldiers, even Zoe, were thrown off their feet and into the wall. If they hadn't been wearing body armor, there would have been broken bones.

"_That_", Mal said, "was a hit." Alarms whooped. The Captain barked orders to abandon ship.

"Escape pods are this way," Paul shouted. The soldiers ran. Distant noises of ruin echoed down the corridors. A steady, growing wind blew past them. They ran faster.

Paul whipped into the outer corridor- and jumped back to a hail of bullets. "Autodemarchs," he growled, "lots of them!"

Mal only nodded. None of them had a grenade. His eyes fell on Zoe's boot. He explained his plan with an eye-twitch.

Moving like a cat, Zoe drew out a dagger from her boot. Slipping past her squad-mates, she threw the knife down the hall. Thrown by an expert, a knife can be made to resemble a grenade to frightened men familiar with them. The dark soldiers drew back in alarm. Just for a moment.

In that moment, Zoe and Mal spilled into the corridor, guns blazing. The Alliance soldiers quickly joined the fight. The autodemarchs retreated before a wall of bullets. Crew members popped out of hiding and ran for the escape pods.

"Go!" Mal shoved Zoe into an escape pod, his gun roaring. As the Alliance evacuated, Malcolm Reynolds, browncoat, defended them. Some of the enemy regained courage, and snapped off quick bursts. They missed. Mal kept shooting. The Alliance kept running.

With a deafening roar, the wall fractured. Mal lost his rifle. It tumbled, and was swept towards the collapsing structure. Paul grabbed Mal by his coat and yanked him into the escape pod. The door slammed, and the pods jettisoned.

Moments later, the Alliance cruiser lost atmosphere, twisting itself apart in the process. Missile flashes and fast gunships dotted the sky. In the distance, another Alliance cruiser was deploying its full combat potential as fast as it could, staving off death itself.

Seconds after that, the pods reached the atmosphere. The bumping, teeth-loosening ride to the surface did not improve the combat tension roiling in the small vehicles.

Touchdown. More bruises. Slowly, Mal unbuckled his harness and climbed out. There was a gas giant in the sky overhead. Flashes of light indicated the ongoing battle. More practically, it was readily apparent that they were on the wrong sector of the moon, without transportation, with a superior enemy force in the sky overhead, with group of Alliance marines he didn't trust.

Perfect.


	13. Flower

_Hello. Iverik here. Just a reminder: This story uses characters created by someone other than me. _

_Facing the Black_

"Aachoo!" Kaylee sniffled.

"Very brave," River said, hanging upside-down from the bunk's ladder, "sacrificed herself to save the crew." Kaylee smiled at the notion of her sacrificing herself. River sighed. "Comfort. Health. Hair," she said, as if instructing a somewhat slow child.

Kaylee fingered her hair. It had been cut rather short by Inara before she left. Adhesives designed to patch spaceships simply did not let go.

"Do you think Simon likes it?"

River beamed. "Simon likes everything about you."

"Really?"

"Sure. Even when he's being a boob."

They shared a laugh.

Inara returned several days later. Kaylee was at her door immediately. When Inara stepped out, she held no flower. "Your hair looks nice," she said.

"Um, thanks..." Kaylee struggled to keep the disappointment out of her voice. Suddenly, Inara gave her a stage wink and held up a finger in the classic "wait" gesture. Kaylee's hopes soared.

It seemed to take forever for Inara to say hello to Simon and River. A slow hour passed, and then another. Twice Kaylee's feet took her near the shuttle, only to have her conscience drive her away.

It was after dinner. At long last, it was time. Kaylee was practically bouncing with excitement. Inara hid a grin as she ushered Kaylee into her shuttle. Kaylee stopped short. "Ohhhhhhhhhh!"

The shuttle was home to a mound of flowers. Kaylee eagerly ran over to them, examining them in awe.

"My last client was rather affectionate," Inara explained, "as you can see."

"They're so beautiful..."

"See any Simon would like?"

"I'm looking." Kaylee's eyes roved over the wondrous array of flowers.

"Just remember that some of these flowers may have additional meanings to Simon. Osirans are famous for their flower-messages. I think he'd appreciate a gentle scent..." Inara droned on.

"This one. It's perfect." Kaylee scooped up an intricate red blossom.

"Excellent. I promised to bring most of these to Petaline, but the absence of one or two flowers will hardly be missed..."

In her bunk, Kaylee admired the flower. For a moment, she hesitated. 'Maybe I should keep this'n for myself," she thought. It was the most beautiful flower she'd ever seen. But then, Simon was the most beautiful _man_ she'd ever seen, and had given such a nice present.

With only the slightest of sighs, her mind was made up. It was almost her shift.

Smiling nervously, Kaylee stepped onto the bridge. "Evening," she said.

"Wha-? Oh. Kaylee. Hi." Simon smiled as awkwardly as usual.

"I gotcha somethin'." Kaylee smiled, almost awkwardly.

"What is it?"

"Close your eyes." As Simon did, Kaylee brought the flower out from behind her back. Holding it close to his face, she told him to open his eyes.

Simon gasped. He looked at the flower, then at Kaylee, and then back again.

"It's beautiful," he stammered. He stood up. And then he kissed her passionately. Kaylee's eyes widened at its intensity- then closed as she melted into it.


	14. Deception, Religion, and Mud

_Hello. Iverik here. Just a reminder: This story uses characters created by someone other than me. _

_Facing the Black_

There is a distinct advantage in being able to communicate silently. Zoe and Mal had gotten to where they could more or less understand each other with a look a long time ago, in another war. Right now, though, it was coming in handy again. It was also driving Killer kwong-juh duh.

"Will you two _say_ something!" He roared. The slightest of smiles tugged at Mal's face.

'You're enjoying this too much', Zoe's face said.

'Maybe a little,' his conceded, 'but you don't to give the plan away, do you?'

'Not at all.'

'Then keep your mouth shut, or he'll get suspicious whenever we're silent.'

'Got it, sir.'

"_Gorram _it!"

"Calm down Killer," Paul advised, "two days ago, you were complaining about how noisy we were being. Now you're roaring about how quiet they are? Make up your mind."

"Can't blame him for being a little jumpy, Paul," Aria interjected, "here on this dead-end moon with our electronics fried and no idea of where we are..."

Mal fingered a small device in his pocket. A small EMP to be precise. Zoe warned him once that his face was too easy to read, and he subsided.

The glances were lost on the Alliance troopers. Killer continued to curse and rave against all things brown. Paul had enough. So he started singing.

"I will praise you with my whole heart... before the lords I will sing praises to youuu... I will worship..."

"Will you stop that?!" Mal sputtered, heedless of Zoe's warning.

"Ah, the mute speaks," Killer laughed.

"It's just a Psalm," Paul began.

"And I don't care to be hearing it right now."

"Oh, like Killer didn't care to hear your silence?" Aria asked harshly.

'I told you so,' Zoe's eyes said, but she remained silent, scanning the horizon. She hugged her brown slicker closer. It was getting colder.

"Silence," Mal whispered, "is a good way _not_ to let the enemy know you're coming."

"Oh, so the browncoat is lecturing us on how to fight now?" Killer fumed.

"What exactly does that mean? 'Cause..."

"Rain," Zoe said crisply. She half-turned to look at her squabbling crew. "Maybe snow."

"Oh." Mal looked out across the plain. Thick dark clouds roiled in the sky.

"This day just gets better and better," Aria groaned.

"Better snow than dropships," Paul said optimistically.

"Now that you said that," Killer growled, "we'll have snow _and_ dropships."

"Okay. Then their black uniforms will stand out against the snow."

"You're an idiot."

"I think we'd better make camp before any of these fine scenarios happen..."

And so they did.


	15. The Best Laid Plans

_Hello. Iverik here. Just a reminder: This story uses characters created by someone other than me. _

_Facing the Black_

Kaylee was in a singing mood the next morning. Simon Tam had kissed her, actually kissed her! And then they had talked and talked and talked... with Simon doing at least half of it! Maybe it was an enchanted flower.

Suddenly, River was there, giving her the "you are such a boob" look.

"What?" Kaylee asked, completely perplexed.

"You know what."

"Thought you were supposed to be able to read minds there genius," Kaylee reminded her.

River stared hard at Kaylee for a long two seconds, then she sighed deeply.

"So, uh, are you going to tell me what that was all about?"

"You didn't listen to Inar-a," River said in a sing-song voice.

Kaylee blinked and stared.

"About what?" Kaylee struggled to follow River's thought process. It could be difficult sometimes.

"Huawang Tien," River replied.

"River..."

River threw up her hands. "Look it up on the cortex," she fumed, and stalked out, completely exasperated.

Kaylee frowned, and went back to her work. As soon as she had finished (a matter of hours), she hurried over to her bunk and drew out her datapad. She punched in the words "Huawang Tien". An article promptly came up. She scrolled down. She read. She scrolled some more- and then it occurred to her to add "Osiris" to her search.

Kaylee's face paled. "Oh goseh..." she gasped, her eyes wide.

River looked up as Kaylee came onto the bridge- read her mind- immediately vacated the bridge. Kaylee was grateful that River didn't feel like saying "I told you so". She hoped Inara was the same way.

In a trice, she had sent the wave. It was a short wait.

"Kaylee? What the guay are you thinking, mei-mei?" Inara glanced at her instruments, futilely checking for any invisible enemy ships.

"Inara-" Kaylee's voice trembled. There was a long pause.

"Go on, mei-mei. Spit it out."

"I didn't check on the flower." Kaylee sounded intensely scared.

Inara's training barely kept her from laughing in relief- and then scowling. "You put the ship into danger over a flower?"

"The Huawang Tien... it, uh... well... on Osiris it, uh..." Kaylee hesitated, then blurted out: "I accidentally proposed to Simon."

Inara was speechless.


	16. Time grows short

_Hello. Iverik here. Just a reminder: This story uses characters created by someone other than me. _

_Facing the Black_

_'_Now would be a good time,' Zoe suggested. Mal considered.

'Not yet.' He decided. Zoe acknowledged his decision.

It was morning. The snow had come, and had immediately melted. The barren plain was now a mushy bog. One more thing to distract the Alliance. Mal called up his mental map. Given the time of day and the location of the gas giant and the suns in the sky... he could find his way anywhere on the planet, map or no map. He sincerely hoped that the other three didn't realize this.

Suddenly, it dawned on him that there was a steady noise. Paul was talking in his sleep. Wait. No, he was awake, and having a conversation apparently. With who? Aria and Killer were asleep.

'_Goseh_', Mal thought, '_he's praying_.' "Good morning, troopers!" He announced aloud, "we've got a real fine day here..."

"Tsao Gao..." Killer inspected the terrain they'd be hiking over.

"Better get used to it," Mal remarked drolly, "I've heard this is the normal for this rock."

The long string of curses, in English and Chinese, is best left unsaid.

Breakfast was strictly rationed and tasteless. The five soldiers struck camp professionally, so that in minutes there was no sign a camp had ever existed.

As they marched, mud began its relentless attempts to get everywhere. Mal worried about it. It had a tendency to get on the slickers. Attempts to brush it off didn't work very well, and could only be done when Killer's suspicious glare was turned elsewhere. It was hopeless. Hopefully, it wouldn't upset the plan any.

Still a long way to go through a war zone.

_Meanwhile_

Jayne Cobb looked around furtively. Alliance troops hurried hither and yon, on missions of their own. Some gave the mercenary a dark look. He was tempted to explain that he'd never fought in no war before, but he suspected that they wouldn't believe him. And then there was the plan. More accurately, the back-up plan. Right now, though, all he cared about was whether Wash had left the ruttin' _signal_.

He hadn't. Again. Jayne hated waiting. But _Guay_... lotsa shootin', and a big payday? Best job ever, even with the boredom in between.

_Back in the Slop_

Mal watched the sky anxiously. They were losing time. Several things could go wrong if he didn't hurry. Some Alliance bureaucrat could figure out that his squad could have survived the crash, and would send an unwelcome search and rescue team after him. That would end the job right there. Second, one of the marines at his back could figure out that it was taking too long to reach Alliance lines. Any one of them would be dangerous. Third, the plan required careful timing. A miss could kill Wash. _Ta ma de..._

Speeding up, though, was as dangerous. People tend to question why they're hurrying in no particular direction. Might just inspire someone suspicious to try to create a mental map... which would inevitably cause trouble. And then they might miss the rendezvous for an entirely different, quite unpleasant reason.

Quite a day.

Suddenly, Zoe froze. Her warning hand stopped Mal in his tracks. Even the marines caught on that something was wrong. "What is it?" Killer asked.

"Autodemarchs," Zoe answered grimly, "Tsao Gao!"


	17. Mistakes

_Hello. Iverik here. Just a reminder: This story uses characters created by someone other than me. _

_Facing the Black_

"You what?" Inara stared. Kaylee's face turned as red as the unfortunate flower.

"Apparently, on Osiris, this flower is used for proposals when a girl proposes to a feller..." Kaylee faltered. There was a pause. "Couldya help me?"

"You haven't told Simon about the misunderstanding yet, have you."

"No."

"He's going to hear about it. If you don't tell him, River will I'm sure," Inara said. Kaylee groaned. "Sorry meimei," Inara said sympathetically.

"How do I tell 'im?" Kaylee groaned.

"Well... only you can answer that, Kaylee. And we need to get off this frequency before a warship homes in on it."

"Oh, right." Kaylee started- for a few hours she'd forgotten about the war entirely.

"Good luck, mei-mei," Inara said- and the wave ended.

Kaylee sat staring into space, her mind a turbulent mess. More and more of what Simon had said last night was making sense now. It should have been obvious. Ah, if only she had looked up the meaning of the flower before hand!

Maybe she still would have given it to him. After all, he was handsome, and a gentleman. When he didn't put his foot in his mouth anyway. Look at how he loved his sister.

How would he react when he learned that he had been proposed to by accident? Would he be angry? Would he-? Could they-?

Simon was on cloud nine. He hadn't realize Kaylee was _that_ crazy about him. For the first time since his exile, Simon felt like singing. He didn't notice the dark look on River's face. Perhaps, he thought, one of the passenger compartments could be converted into a nice home for them. River was getting better and more in control of herself. Maybe she could take Kaylee's old bunk? The rest of the crew would be right there. Wait- did Kaylee want to move? Maybe he should check.

River tagged along. Every once and a while, she paused, staring at something only she could see. She shivered and ducked her head, proceeding warily. Simon was unfamiliar with this behavior. he wouldn't have understood what it meant even if he had had eyes for anything but Kaylee.

"Hey..." He almost stopped awkwardly at the doorway but he caught himself. He hugged her instead. She hugged him back, but she seemed far away. He paused. "Is something wrong?"

"Well... I don't know." Kaylee hesitated, trying to find the right words.

"She proposed to you by accident," River said impatiently, "but she doesn't want to go back to the way things were- and we're running out of time." She hopped from one foot to the other, glancing off into nothing as if she saw danger approaching.

"Kaylee?"

Kaylee's face turned bright red. "It's true," she admitted. She hesitated, scrambling for words. Simon was backing away, his face falling. The words weren't coming. _Ta ma de_, this was his role! What did she normally want Simon to do in this situation?

She kissed him.

"Very sweet," said River, "but we're on the clock here..."

"Mmm?" Backing out of the kiss, Kaylee and Simon stared at each other. River edged towards the ship's controls. "Well, I don't have a ring or anything..." Simon hesitated... "but..."

There was an awful screech. The lights went out. River screamed in terror and anger. Kaylee ran to the controls. A quick look, and she brought a little power back- just enough to get the sensors back. Just enough to see the autodemarch ship closing in on them. There was a flash- and Kaylee's world turned to black.


	18. Desperate Times, Desperate Measures

_Hello. Iverik here. Just a reminder: This story uses characters created by someone other than me. _

_Facing the Black_

Mal and Zoe watched grimly. A hasty and obvious minefield had been set up, funneling any would-be attackers into a killing zone. The autodemarch soldiers were busy, setting up equipment. One piece of equipment that was half installed already was a heavy machine-gun. Zoe's sharp eyes noticed a seeker launcher. The two browncoats exchanged glances.

They slid back down. Aria boosted herself up for a look. She ducked down quickly.

"There's too many of them," Paul grumbled.

Killer checked his weapon.

"If'n we ignore these people," Mal said, "I guarantee they won't ignore us. Did you see that launcher on the left," he gambled, "drone launcher. They'll have a three hundred mile radius mapped out once they get that thing launched."

The marines exchanged glances. "We've got a closing window of opportunity," Mal said, "once they get their heavy weapons set up we won't have a chance. As far as we know, no one else in the Alliance knows about this."

"Could take twenty lives to take it down once operational," Zoe commented.

"Maybe," Paul cautioned.

Aria and Killer were convinced. Their safeties clicked off.

"Got a plan, sir?" Zoe asked.

"Kill the machine-gunners first," Mal determined, "then the other construction workers. Then we spread out and try to pick off the soldiers."

"Sooner the better," Paul groaned, "they're finishing with the gun."

Bullets stopped them. Battle cries, Alliance and Independent, filled the air. The autodemarch soldiers dropped what they were doing and raised their guns. In that brief moment, however, they lost their crucial advantages. The machine-gun toppled, one leg unsecured. The seeker-laucher was riddled with bullets from Zoe's gun and the guidance system was ruined. No one could get near it to repair it either. All the autodemarchy had now was numbers- and they were milking that advantage for all it was worth.

A storm of automatic gunfire screamed overhead. Aria popped up, let out a quick burst, and dived back under cover. A bullet whistled through her hair. An enemy grenade sailed in and fell short. The explosion showered the allies with mud.

In the distance, a vehicle roared. Mal took one look, and hope died. It was a troop carrier, charging across the plain way too goram fast. It didn't matter if it was Alliance or Autodemarch. His chances of gaining a fortune were shot if it got to them.

Zoe knew that crazy look. She hated it, but there was nothing she could do about it except join in.

Mal jumped up and charged. Zoe followed. Then Aria. Then Killer- and the whole squad was charging, guns blazing. A round struck Zoe's armor- another hit Killer's... a third killed Aria. But then they had reached the encampment.

There were walls now, fortified with mud-bags. Mal and Zoe _knew_ how to fight in this terrain. They'd done it before. Zoe slipped silently deeper into the camp, exploiting whatever she found to ambush the enemy.

Some of the enemy, at least, also understood the art of ambush. Mal looked up to find himself looking down a gun barrel. Suddenly, Pual shoved him out of the way, gun blazing. The enemy fell. Mal looked at his would-be killer, and then at Paul. "Thanks," he said.

"Don't mention it," Paul said, "I suppose we should block that hole somehow."

"Check him for grenades." Mal fired at another "curious" enemy soldier. Paul found grenades. A mountain of rubble blocked the side enterance. The three of them took up defensive positions and fought for their lives.

Little by little, bullet by bullet, the enemy force was whittled down. The battle had been raging for hours now. Mal checked his ammunition, nursing a graze on his other hand. It was low. There were still far too many enemies- never mind the troop carrier! The latter would be dumping fresh troops into the battlefield in literally seconds. It felt ominously like the last war he'd fought. Defeat starts in the hearts and minds of the enemy- and the Autodemarchy could smell it. Their soldiers edged around the bend. With a roar, Mal opened fire.

At the edge of camp, the troop transport arrived.


	19. Friends in High Places

_Hello. Iverik here. Just a reminder: This story uses characters created by someone other than me. _

_Facing the Black_

Inara just happened to be looking back at where _Serenity_ was hidden when the flash came. It was a brilliant flash. It might have been beautiful... if it wasn't during a war, and coming from the direction of good friends.

For a moment, she considered daring to wave _Serenity_. That was ruled out quickly. She bit her lip. Icy fear had her for a few long minutes. And then she remembered. Her shuttle banked and raced off to try to save its owner's friends.

Mal grunted as a bullet caught him. Running, he set up a spray of bullets to cover his retreat. His bullets were joined by bullets from Killer and Paul's guns. The autodemarchy's shots were somewhat wild, but pure luck would eventually run them down. A swarm of soldiers poured into the camp. The raid was over. But no one wanted to give up yet.

"Run!" Zoe screamed, dropping her weapon. Mal had never seen her run so fast. What in the 'verse could... He saw. Oh. Mal ran faster. "Go! Go! Go!" He screamed at Killer and Paul.

Seeing their prey in flight, the autodemarch troopers took a moment to carefully aim four killing shots. A slight smile crossed their lieutenant's face.

Then the first missile hit.

The concussion threw the Alliance soldiers off their feet. The autodemarchs lost their aim. Their guns spun to the sky. A shiny gunship roared overhead.

Wash had a pterodactyl on his console. "Watch me _roar_!" he told it, and fired again.

The autodemarch camp was a smouldering, lifeless ruin. Mal got back to his feet in time to spot a head of yellow hair through the cockpit of the disappearing fighter. Thoughtfully, Wash waited until he was out of sight before banking towards the Alliance base.

"Aria," Paul groaned. He ran to her side. She was quite dead. Watching over his shoulder, Mal noticed how different her eyes looked with the fire drained out of them. It reminded him of an old war buddy named Julie... he brushed away the memory harshly.

"Best we be movin' on," he advised.

"He's right," Killer agreed, "ain't no carrion eaters on this world to disturb her until our collectors come."

"I know." Paul straightened. "Just saying goodbye."

"Let's get a move-on. We know we were heading the right direction now. I want some hot food and to _not _ be shot at for a change," Mal said.

The soldiers moved on. Only Paul looked back at Aria's body.

The Alliance lieutenant looked up in annoyance as the wave came in. "Another bleating civilian. Don't they know we're at war?" He smacked the wave to life. "This is the Alliance patrol ship _Qingdao_. This is a restricted communication zone..." He paused. The caller was the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen.

"Please," Inara begged, "I just saw a flash were one of my friends should have been. Could you check it out?"

"Ma'am," the lieutenant said more respectfully, "we're fighting a war..."

"Are you engaged at the moment?"

"Well..."

"I'm a member of the companion's guild," Inara said, "I could make it very much worth your while."

The lieutenant swallowed. "Well, I guess it wouldn't hurt to check the area. Might get lucky and bag a skink."

"Thank you so much."

"You just stay here."

"Of course."

The lieutenant closed the channel and opened another one.

"_Qingdao_ to _Liaoning_."

"_Liaoning_."

"A civilian has reported some possible enemy activity. I'm going to check it out. Can you have gunship wing five sit on my patrol?"

"Okay. Good hunting. _Liaoning_, out."

"_Qingdao_, out."


	20. The Witching Hour

_Hello. Iverik here. Just a reminder: This story uses characters created by someone other than me. _

_Facing the Black_

Lieutenant Ned Philio of the _Qingdao_ stared out his viewport. "Is that a gorram autodemarch ship?" He asked rhetorically.

The dark ship was just sitting there, drifting. Repeated scans showed that it was uninhabited. Several of its missiles had been fired, and recently. Nebulae of exhaust were still detectable- barely. Soon the solar winds would sweep them away.

"Any sign of that civilian vessel?"

"No sir. None. Some residual heat... in line with a transport going to full burn."

"Just what we need," the lieutenant thought of all the havoc enemy soldiers in disguise could cause. "Follow that transport."

"Sir! We've got five enemy gunships on LIDAR, they've got missile lock!"

"Well break it! Return fire!"

Mal hurried. His diminished force was wounded, and there was a high likelihood of enemy or quasi-friendly contact at any moment. He kept his face away from Killer- no sense in triggering premature suspicion.

He had regained a sense of their position. They'd be there by this evening.

Paul was quietly saying a prayer for Aria. Zoe's eyes warned Mal off of trying to shut him up. Still, it was driving Mal slowly insane.

Insanity got people killed out here.

Wash was thoughtful as he touched down. A map of the planet was sufficient to tell him the full story. Mal and Zoe- especially Zoe- were still alive, and still sticking to the plan. He'd be glad to get out of this place. Every day came reports of pilots downed, marines killed.

He couldn't wait to leave, and yet he was starting to feel like a coward.

"Talmut!" Jayne roared happily. A startled young man with a ghostly beard turned- and then returned Jayne's roar with one of his own.

"Jayne! How're you doing, you old cattle monger!"

"Fine fine- as fine as can be expected in this tian sheng de war."

"Thought you liked fighting."

"And you used to scold me for it."

"Aw, well... things change. People try to kill your people, you kill them first."

"Sounds like ya finally got some sense into ya," Jayne approved.

Talmut scowled. "I'm still me," he insisted.

"Trust me," Jayne said, "ya ain't. Not after this. Not ever. Buy ya a drink!"

The next morning, Jayne was woken by his sergeant with a profound hangover. Then it was patrols, sentinel duty, and make-work for hours. He was very tired when he walked past the signal location. He almost missed it.

"Ta ma de!" He stared. It was time. The _gorram_ plan was going into action. He took off at a run. No tellin' how long that signal had been in place. He had to make up for lost time.

Mal caught sight of the installation first. It was disguised to avoid detection from the air, but from the ground it stuck out like a sore thumb. He let Zoe know silently. She cocked an eye towards the sun. Almost time. Almost time.


	21. Zero Hour

_Hello. Iverik here. Just a reminder: This story uses characters created by someone other than me. _

_Facing the Black_

Killer stared at the concrete walls of the installation. "No way the autodemarchs could have built this so quickly," he growled.

"It's been here for a while," Paul seconded.

"Great," Mal remarked, "and here's a door." He went inside.

The hall was dark and cold. Mal tried to ignore the fact that he was silhouetted by the light from the doorway.

"Hey, don't do that!" Killer followed. Paul warily watched the horizon. So did Zoe. Finally, he went in. As soon as he was out of sight, Zoe pulled an autodemarch pistol out of a hidden holster and followed him in.

Mal's normally silent conscience was bothering him. He silenced it expertly. It was unusual though. Maybe it was the fact that Paul had saved his life, that he knew their names. He reached the bend in the corridor. He hesitated. Still time to call this off.

But he hadn't risked half his crew's lives for nothing. There was one BIG payday at the end of this, and no power in the verse, especially not the chiang-bao hotze duh Alliance, was going to stop him. He stepped around the corner, and onto a floorplate.

Instantly, light flooded the hall. Paul and Killer instinctively shielded their eyes; Zoe instinctively pulled the trigger. Both men fell to an autodemarch gun. The first stage of the plan was almost complete.

As soon as the firing stopped, Mal came back around the corner, looking much older than he had been. He stooped. Killer was dead. He moved on. Paul wasn't.

"Why?" He asked, blood bubbling from his lips. Zoe's lips compressed. Her gun raised. Mal told her to wait.

"Because we've spent the last six years nearly starving. And if we do this right, we'll be eating and flying again- and the verse will be a safer place. Dong ma?"

It wasn't entirely clear whether Paul understood or not. He was fading. Suddenly, he reached up and grabbed Mal's arm. Zoe's gun came up again- but Paul was only talking.

"Tell me, Captain, would the old Captain Reynolds, the one who died six years ago, would he have betrayed us?" Paul's eyes were bright- Mal found he couldn't look away. "Someday, you'll meet someone like me. And you won't be able to hide anymore..." The brilliance faded, and Paul fell away.

"What the hell was that about?" Zoe wanted to know.

Mal thought for a minute about the old sergeant Malcolm Reynolds. How did Paul know? How could he possibly...

"Nothing," he growled, "now let's get a move-on. We're on a tight schedule."

Wash smiled grimly as he looked at his latest orders. Jayne's planted intel had had the overstretched Alliance in a tizzy. Their reserves were suddenly committed. His ship, and his ship alone would be traveling on this final journey. Impulsively, he tossed his helpful mechanic a dinosaur (one that he didn't use often, true) and readied for takeoff. It was then that the first thing went really wrong.

Jayne wasn't there. Was he held up? Was he caught? Wash worried, fretting over his controls. There was a clunk. Wash got up, and hurried into the aft compartment. There was a small, Alliance issue holo-recorder on the floor. Curious, Wash played it.

"Hello Wash," said Jayne, "I know what the plan is and all. You and I secure this here plane and burn for the black. Well, I've decided to change the plan."

"Ta ma de..."

"You may think I've lost my mind, but hear me out. I met an old buddy here. Used to court my older sister- actually court her, ya know? Well, she died of pneumonia... anyway, the family back home's real attached to this fella and... well, it would look bad if _all_ the browncoats lit out, wouldn't it? Leastaways... well, Bottom line is, I'm stayin'. Say goodbye to the folks for me. So long." The message ended.

The mechanic pounded on the side of the ship. "Hey! Are you taking off or not?"


	22. The Plan is Rescue

_Hello. Iverik here. Just a reminder: This story uses characters created by someone other than me. _

_Facing the Black_

An elderly man turned as Mal entered. He smiled. "Ah, Captain Reynolds. I am so glad that you made it here..." he hesitated, seeing Mal's uniform. Mal's smile tightened.

"Only way to get into a gorram warzone. You picked a dandy location," he observed.

"Ah, well, I can't predict everything. You have a ship?"

"Two. An Alliance gunship to get us out of the warzone, and my firefly to get us over to Circe, and then..."

"And then I will turn my research over the Circe Protective Union, and they will be very grateful. You would even get a permit to work around Circe. Abundant work, mostly legal, with little Alliance presence and no reavers. Not to mention a finder's fee for you and your crew."

"Good. I've had to do things I'll have nightmares about to get here," Mal said, "sooner we're in the black the better." He tossed his dog tag on the floor.

"Let's get started. My research is mostly stored as computer files, but there are a few essential samples..."

Wash grimaced as he approached the landing zone. Zoe had thoughtfully put out a welcome mat, breaking the laboratory's cover. He touched down. Mal, Zoe, and Professor Bi'ence were more than ready to leave. As soon as he had landed, the door was open and the cargo was being loaded.

"Where's Jayne?" Mal demanded.

"He's not coming," Wash sighed.

"Not coming?" Zoe stared.

"He left a message..."

"Gorram it!" Mal roared.

"He only informed me after it was too late," Wash said defensively.

"He's made his choice," Zoe said.

None of this improved Mal's temper.

The professor nodded as he got in. "The samples are ready for space travel," he informed Mal. The door slid shut, and Wash revved up the engine for takeoff.

"Get your suit on," Mal warned, "we could lose atmo in a bit."

Lieutenant Philio gasped for breath. Smoke filled his small ship. The gunboats had been defeated, but their missiles had crippled the Alliance warship. In a few minutes, the atmosphere would be choked. Desperately, he clawed his way to the wave, trying to send a message. Instead, he blacked out.

The battlespace was quieter than it had been. Alliance reinforcements had arrived undetected, and the autodemarch cruisers had fallen back to regroup. There were, however, a lot of harassing gunships.

His face wiped of all emotion but concentration, Wash fired all of his missiles. A string of gunships erupted into flames. He keyed his radio. "This is Whiskey Charlie Six. Missile stock depleted. Heading back to the barn to reload."

"Whiskey Charlie Six, you are on multi-frequencies..."

"Egad!" Wash made the ridiculous word feel spontaneous, even though he'd been planning it for a week. "There's a gunship! It's on my tail!"

"Lose him, Whiskey Charlie Six. Yankee Zebra Five will be with you in less than two minutes."

"I don't have that long!" Wash sounded terrified; he looked bored.

"Whiskey Charlie..."

"Going to full burn!"

"No!"

Wash slammed his ship beyond the safety limits. His passengers held on. Behind him, a very real enemy gunship gave chase.


	23. The Plan is Survive

_Hello. Iverik here. Just a reminder: This story uses characters created by someone other than me. _

_Facing the Black_

Wash watched as the enemy gunship got closer and closer, approaching optimum firing range. He pursed his lips. He unbuckled his safety harness.

"He's got me, he's got me! Tell my Ma I love her..." Wash screamed into a recorder. It was set up to play when anything got within twenty meters of the exhaust port, once turned on. He flicked it on.

"We're on the clock," he cried. Running back into the aft compartment, he joined his crew and the professor. Everyone checked their seals.

"He's got me!" The Wash-Computer screamed. And the ship's outer door exploded into nothingness.

Riding a wave of escaping atmosphere, four people and three space-proof boxes of samples sailed into the 'verse. Moments later, an autodemarch missile destroyed the Alliance gunboat Whiskey Charlie Six.

Back on the world, Alliance Intelligence Officers found "satellite photos" showing Autodemarch heavy weaponry and an installation of unknown purpose and sinister design. A heavy cruiser in orbit and a flight of gunships demolished it. Four Alliance dogtags were later found in the rubble.

Jayne attended Aria's funeral.

Mal watched patiently. Wash had engineered it so that the seven-parcel debris cloud was on course for the rendezvous. They would reach it about thirty minutes before their oxygen ran out. Zoe was actually asleep.

The journey was uneventful. They arrived at the rendezvous right on schedule. "Gotta hand it to you, Wash." Mal beamed.

"Uh, sir?" Zoe scanned the sky. "We're at the rendezvous, right?"

"Yup."

"Then where's _Serenity_?"

"uh... Wash?!"

"Don't look at me. This is the place."

"Something wrong?" Professor Bi'ence inquired.

"Come on, Kaylee," Mal pleaded to the empty sky, "come on, come on, come on..."

Mal stared in mounting horror at the empty sky. Jubal Early's voice seemed to ring in his ears. He stared death in the face- and for the first time in a long time he couldn't just laugh at it, or shoot at it. He was helpless, drifting to his doom.

Gradually, it dawned on him that the others were shouting. "It's Inara!" Zoe cried.

The small shuttle swooped in, awkwardly trying to match speeds with the travelers. An airlock beckoned. A small coil of cable snaked out. The Professor, being the closest, caught it. Holding hands and trapping the cargo between them, the four castaways went home.

"Where's Jayne?" Inara wanted to know, inspecting each of her shipmates (and addition) in turn.

"More to the point, where's _Serenity_?" Mal wanted to know.

"She's not coming," Inara said softly.

"What do you mean she's not..."

"Such a tragedy," Inara sobbed. Then she looked up dry-eyed. "The Alliance has decided that Kaylee is a hero."

"I- what!?" Mal sputtered.


	24. How Kaywinneth Frye became a hero

_Hello. Iverik here. Just a reminder: This story uses characters created by someone other than me. _

_Facing the Black_

Kaylee didn't think herself a hero. What kind of hero faints when being shot at after all? But she was the only one aboard who didn't have a price on her head. So she was the only one who Lieutenant Philio could be allowed to see during his rescue. Consequentially, he thought she had rescued him single-handedly. And then there was the matter of the Autodemarch ship and what it contained.

Kaylee hit the floor with a thunk. Simon automatically went to her side. River finally got to the controls. Another EMP attempt. River half-smiled. Pathetic really. But still dangerous. Now. She focused.

On the other ship, there was a scream. River casually lifted the pilot of the other ship into mid-air and waited. It was probably good that Simon was too worried over his fiance to notice what his sister was doing- he would have been astonished. There were many things he didn't know about her.

_Serenity_'s power returned. In an instant, River tossed the unfortunate pilot aside. Steering _Serenity_ towards the warship, River expertly docked. Simon finally looked up. River ignored him, as usual, and hurried to the airlock. She was across and into the other ship remarkably quickly- she had to hurry.

The other pilot already was reaching for the controls when River stepped into the room. Her eyes widened, and she backed away. River advanced.

"You are a Psyonic Weapon," River observed.

"Who are you?"

"A fugitive. Like yourself."

"How did-?"

"You improperly armed your torpedoes. The effect was minimal. You are not a combat pilot."

"No," the other admitted.

"What is your name?"

"Esperelda Gonzalez."

"You are from the Autodemarchy."

"Yes." Esperelda looked distressed. "You don't know what it's like over there."

"Then tell me."

"We set out from Earth years ago. Generations really. No one remembers it. I suppose we left at the same time you did, but your ships were faster. You got here first."

"It wasn't long ago that the Autodemarchy came to power. My father told me about the takeover. He cooked for the first Autodemarch, Caspar Brenian." Esperelda looked distressed.

"As we approached the system, the Autodemarchy learned about people planning to join the Alliance. Conditions under the Autodemarchy were bad. Food was mismanaged, and even the air we breathed... well, it was bad."

"After the 'plot' was discovered, though, things got very bad. Hundreds were killed. We all suffered."

"So you got this ship and ran," River prompted.

"Yes. I thought, if I could just tell the Alliance what we really are..."

"There is not as much hope in the Alliance as you think," River observed.

"But under the Autodemarchy, we have no hope. They plan to enslave us when they're done conquering the system!"

River read Esperelda's mind, and found it truthful.

"They'll come after you."

"They're already after me," Esperelda admitted.

So it was that it was no coincidence that Lieutenant Philio had found five gunships on his way to _Serenity_'s location.


	25. Riches and Portents

_Hello. Iverik here. Just a reminder: This story uses characters created by someone other than me. _

_Facing the Black_

The Alliance was very, very grateful to Kaylee Frye and Esperelda Gonzalez.

Coincidentally, an internal rebellion occurred within the Autodemarchy just a month into the war. A peace treaty was signed. Since the rebels had control of the Autodemarch's still formidible war-fleet, the Alliance agreed to let them control some of the outer worlds. Peace wouldn't last- but when war came again, neither side would be facing extermination, but only subjugation. A small victory, but a victory none the less.

Inara's shuttle and _Serenity_ reunited over the dark gas giant of Circe. Mal swept Kaylee off the floor in a giant bear hug.

"So... we've got the job?" Simon asked cautiously.

"Indeed we do," Zoe smirked.

"Ladies and gentlemen," Wash announced dramatically, "the powers that be are letting us travel to Circe and its moons, and to do business therein."

"I expect we'll make a tidy sum," Mal said casually, "with a good deal less risk than we've been taking on of late."

"That's not all," Kaylee beamed.

"What?" Mal paused.

"Apparently, if the Alliance considers you a hero, they alter your ident-card," Kaylee explained. She winked.

"So... what've we got?"

"You want to explain?" Kaylee looked at Simon.

"Basically, it's a free pass onto any low-level Alliance facility. Get chased for a minor offense, and they'll back off..."

"Reminds me of Shepard Book's," Zoe remarked.

"Well." Mal was floored.

"That's not all," Kaylee added.

"It's like Christmas morning," Wash noted.

"Go on Kaylee, tell us," Inara said.

Kaylee stepped towards the doctor and took his hand. "We're getting hitched," she said.

"No you ain't!" Mal protested.

"We're so happy for you!" Zoe corrected. Inara nodded firmly.

Wash grinned. Mal threw up his hands in defeat.

"Win some, you lose some," River commented.

"Thought we were past that," Mal groused.

"Ah, well, there's always _something_."

River stared at her hands intently. They had made her what she was. When they realized they'd lost her, they'd tried to paralyze her. Now she knew that they'd failed. All she needed was a little help...

No Power in the 'verse could stop her.

The End.


End file.
